PCBS: Unemployment among Palestinian graduates hits 55.8%

Aug. 12, 2018 11:35 A.M. (Updated: Aug. 14, 2018 3:22 P.M.)

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) issued a press release on Sunday reviewing the current situation of young graduates in the Palestinian society on the occasion of International Youth Day.

According to PCBS, the rate of unemployment among Palestinian graduates, between the age of 15-29 years old, holding an intermediate diploma degree or higher was 55.8% during 2017 (37.8% for males and 72.0% for females) compared to 41.5% in 2007.

PCBS said in statement that 2017 graduates of educational sciences and teacher training specialization recorded the highest unemployment rate at 69.6% (47.5% for males and 76.2% for females).

Meanwhile, graduates of law specialization recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 25.7% (25.5% for males and 26% for females).

High rates of youth participation in the labor force

The percentage of participation in the labor force among individuals (15-29 years) in Palestine reached 41.1% in 2017 (63% among males and 18.9% among females) compared with 33.8% in 2007.

The percentage of participation among individuals in the age group (15-29 years) in the West Bank increased from 35.6% in 2007 to 41.1% in 2017, and in the besieged Gaza Strip it increased from 30.8% to 42.0% during the same period.

Youth unemployment rate increased in 2017 compared to 2007

The unemployment rate among individuals (15-29 years) in Palestine increased in 2017 as it reached 41.0% (33.7% among males and 66.7% among females) compared to 2007 when it was 30.5%.

On the other hand, the unemployment rate among individuals in the age group (15-29 years) in the West Bank increased from 25.6% in 2007 to 27.2% in 2017, and it increased significantly in Gaza Strip from 39.8% to 61.2% during the same period.

The work of youth females is concentrated in the services sector. While, trade, restaurants and hotels sectors are the most accommodating for male youth employment

The percentage of youth working in the services sector was 23.0% in 2017 compared to 28.4% in the trade, restaurants and hotels sector, 19.6% in the construction sector.

The percentage of workers in the agriculture sector was 7.5%, while the percentage of the employed youth in transportation, storage, and communications sector reached 6.4%.

One-third of the Palestinian population is youth, and more than half of them live in “Area C” close to the apartheid wall and illegal Israeli settlements

The percentage of individuals (15-29 years) in Palestine increased from about 28% in 2007 to about 29% of the total population in 2017, which is equivalent to about 1.37 million individuals and a gender ratio of 104.5 males per 100 females in 2017.

Collected data indicated that the percentage of individuals (15-29 years) in Palestine, who live in “Area C” close to the apartheid wall, reached 54.2%, which is equivalent to 743,160 individuals (380,841 males and 362,319 females).

High percentage of households headed by youth during the past decade

According to the data of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census of 2017, the percentage of households headed by youths (15-29 years) in Palestine was 14.9% (13.9% in the West Bank and 16.5% in Gaza Strip). While in 2007 this percentage was 9.2%.

This statistic indicates an increase in the social and economic challenges that Palestinian youths face today.

A significant decrease in the rate of early marriage among females

The results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census of 2017 indicated that the percentage of females, between the ages of 20 to 24, who were married before the age of 18 year in Palestine reached 10.8%. In 2007, this percentage was 18.1% in Palestine. In 1997, the percentage reached 30.5%.

35.3% of the youth (15-29 years) are currently enrolled in education

The data census results showed that 35.3% of individuals (15-29 years) were enrolled in education by 80.7% of individuals in the age group of 15 to 17, 42.4% in the age group of 18 to 22, and 7.1% in the age group of 23 to 29.

While the percentage of enrollment among young males was 31.1% compared to 39.7% for females.

The rate of illiteracy among individuals (15-29 years) decreased from 1.1% in 2007 to about 0.6% in 2017.

3 out of 100 youth have disability/difficulty, and nearly a one-third of the youth who have disabilities/difficulty are not enrolled in education

According to the data, 40,542 individuals (15-29 years) in Palestine have a disability representing 3.1% of the youth. It is worth noting that the percentage of individuals who have disabilities/difficulties increased compared to 2.8% in 2007.

The percentage of disability/difficulty among young males was 4.2% compared with 2.1% among young females in 2017.

As for enrollment in education among the youth who have disabilities/difficulties, in 2017 the results indicated that those who did not enroll in education reached 29.4% (32.1% in the West Bank compared to 27.2% in Gaza Strip).

More than one-third of the youth in Gaza Strip desire to emigrate

The situation in the Gaza Strip plays an important role in increasing the desire to emigrate, where the percentage of those who desire to emigrate from Gaza reached 37% compared with 15% in the occupied West Bank.

Youth males are also more likely to think about migration than youth females (29% for males and 18% for youth females).

More than one-fourth of the youth are poor in 2017

The poverty rate among individuals according to the monthly consumption patterns was 29.2% in 2017.

The poverty rate among individuals (15-29 years) according to the monthly consumption patterns was 29.5%. The percentage of extreme poverty among individuals (15-29 years) was 17.1%.